Product Description

"Pure and unalloyed pleasure. Those who already love Nielsen's songs will now discover a voice that might have been created to sing them....For those who know the voice, what discoveries the songs will be!....once heard, never forgotten, haunting in such simple, heartfelt performances as these....Schiøtz made a number of distinguished recordings during his very short career (it had barely begun when war broke out)....these are the finest of them."

- Michael Oliver, INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, May, 1995

“In my opinion, he is one of the most musical and stylistic singers. There is a unique inward passion and an illuminating power in his singing. His Bach and Handel recordings belong to his most wonderful achievements. I admire his Lieder recordings. DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN, DICHTERLIEBE, the songs by Nielsen - his interpretations are true treasures and have become classic performances.

Schiøtz studied with Agnete Zacharias, Valdemar Lincke and John Forsell, the latter who was the teacher of Jussi Björling. He gave his first song recital in 1936. In 1938 he was discovered by the recording company His Master’s Voice. In 1940 Denmark was seized by Hitler, thus international activities had to be postponed. Because of his successful recordings, he became one of the best loved classical singers. He appeared in opera and operetta and gave recitals all over the country. After the war he was invited to record DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN and DICHTERLIEBE with Gerald Moore. He also appeared in the first performances of Britten’s THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA at Glyndebourne opposite Kathleen Ferrier. He also sang film-songs and in musicals. In 1946 Aksel Schiøtz survived a tumor operation of the acoustic nerve, but it left the right hand side of his face partly paralyzed. He succeeded by sheer will-power to sing in a comeback recital in 1948. In 1955 he entered a new career as a professor at the universities of Minnesota, Toronto and Colorado. He gave master classes in the USA and was regarded as an excellent teacher. He died in 1975.”